Creationist bloggers can be infuriating. If one has infuriated you by persisting in nonsense even when corrected, or refusing to reply to your criiticsm, you may feel driven to recording the fact. If so, you may register your disapproval here and hope a response is forthcoming.

''https://australianmuseum.net.au/introdu ... -australia"There are over 1000 species of native Australian snails and slugs." (Native may mean indigenous rather than necessarily endemic - but the reference is to snails and slugs not deliberately or accidentally introduced by humans eg because some snails are edible.)http://askjohnmackay.com/snails-how-did ... the-world/Imho this sometimes informative piece simply does NOT answer the question that was posed regarding snails re-colonising the world 'post-flood'. How did ANY native and land-based snails reach Australia post-flood? Perhaps they've lived there for millions of years? Will you address this in your talk at Rugby on 3 July I wonder.''

Terry has emailed the following reply:''Dear Mr Haworth-Roberts,Thank you for getting in touch regarding my article on the ‘Success of Snails’. I'm glad you read the article and found it sometimes informative and am sorry you feel it didn't answer the question. In my article I discuss a number of key factors both intrinsically and extrinsically that have favoured the spread and survival of snails across continents since the flood. These factors ranging from the feet of birds to human introduction are profound players in how snails have colonised such vast areas of the globe – man I would strongly suggest being the chief and most effective agent.One point that might need some more elaboration is the nature of the Biblical kinds which explains how we can have so many species developing over time. On page one I commented:-The original replicators of today’s species had the genetic potential to reproduce the great variety we see today in those families... Let's not forget that in the beginning the number of species (being representatives of the kinds) would have been smaller and prior to the flood speciation would have had around 1656 years to develop.Since the flood we have had much longer for the representatives of those kinds on the ark to develop, which explains why today we have so many species. You reference Australia as having over 1000 native species. Of those, around 800 are snails. It is very notable (and this is key to my point) that these natives are represented by only 26 family groups. If we assume that these families represent in part the progenitors (akin to the Biblical kind of Genesis) these would have over 4400 years to develop and establish many new species which would be discovered and classified as native and in some places endemic. This is exactly what we would expect given the historicity of the book of Genesis. It is a very snug fit!To further illustrate this I would refer back to my article and my point about Partula snails and the work of Henry Crampton. Shockingly, for just one family (Partulidae) we have over 120 species to count for – truly amazing (although a large proportion have been decimated by an introduced predatory snail in 1950’s ).These Partulid tree snails are endemic to the French Polynesian islands and have spread over a staggering 8000km from Palau to the Society Islands in French Polynesia. This powerfully highlights the point that not only do we observe the vast diversification of this particular family since the flood but also the incredible coverage by such tiny snails in colonising such vast areas of country – in this case separate islands. If this is true for just one family of tiny tree loving snails how about 26 other families? Although they may or may not develop the same number of species over time, this example is very revealing. When we understand the nature of the Biblical kinds and how they are able to diversify we get a much clearer picture of how those kinds have repopulated the earth in such dazzling diversity since the end of the flood.I hope this further explanation helps. With kind regards,Simon Terry.''

Based on this response, the 800 native snails found in Australia today are not native at all (and scientists are wrong again), but instead most of them were deliberately or accidentally spread there by humans (or possibly on birds' feet) from wherever Noah's Ark pitched up (Turkey?) not much less than 4,500 years ago presumably - so as to allow time for all that unbiblical post-flood speciation from the original 26 or so 'kinds' to take place. (And young earth creationists wonder why they cannot get their ideas published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.)

I politely suggest that the answer - for which I am grateful - is factually and scientifically nonsensical and absurd as well as somewhat extra-biblical since there is precisely nothing in the Bible to imply that God did not create species (including those found today) in the Genesis 1 account rather than these so-called 'kinds' that young earth creationists apologists go on about. That said young earth creationist supporters will probably buy it. However, the Bible verse (1 Peter 3:15) that says ''Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have'' is clearly not only referring to young earth creationist supporters but to people in general who may ask a Christian to explain their hope (in Jesus Christ).

I trust that if Terry's response is published by Answers in Genesis and Creation Research they will also quote the precise question that I actually asked.

Those native and land-based snails have lived in Australia for millions of years. Which rather rules out a global flood 4,500 years ago.

Australia and native land snails being just ONE example of a wider mystery for young earth creationist apologists.